Soccer and violence: soccer or fireball?
The recently concluded Euro 2008 was widely covered in the international media, but there was another piece of news that attracted less coverage and readers. Spain’s Euro 2008 victory party soured when one fan was killed and nearly 100 injured during wild celebrations in Madrid.
The victim, a 40-year-old man, was found lying in a pool of blood by street sweepers in the center of the capital. Initial media reports suggested that he likely sustained a head injury.
After the national team broke a 44-year spell, Spaniards took to the streets in wild celebrations that lasted well into the next day. Wrapped in Spanish flags, fans set off fireworks and honked their car horns.
Police tried to stop fans from jumping into the Cibeles fountain, the traditional way to celebrate a soccer victory, and made baton charges to break up isolated riots in the capital. More than 50 supporters were arrested for acts of vandalism and public disorder. Luckily there was only one death reported.
The game of soccer has been closely associated with hundreds of deaths. Many times it was the result of hooliganism or football riots and many times it was the result of accidents or stampedes or fights between fans.
Soccer and violence have gone hand in hand for many years. In 1314, King Edward II of the United Kingdom banned soccer to prevent soccer-related violence. Most nations that play soccer have witnessed soccer-related deaths from time to time.
In 1968, more than 70 people were killed when the crowd at a soccer match in Argentina collapsed after young people threw burning papers at each other. In 1971, a fight broke out at a match in Brazil, killing four and injuring 1,500.
In 1964, in another soccer accident, more than 300 soccer fans were killed and another 500 injured in Peru in a riot during an Olympic qualifying match between Argentina and Peru.
In June 2006, Germany beat Poland in a World Cup final match, a result that meant Germany qualified for the second round of the final. The match was marred by violent clashes between German and Polish fans. Police detained more than 300 people in Dortmund after clashes broke out. German fans hurled chairs, bottles and fireworks at the police. Various groups of German and Polish fans fought each other in separate engagements. In February 2007, in Saxony, all matches in the German lower leagues were canceled after around 800 fans attacked 300 policemen after a match.
In Turkey, before Galatasaray’s UEFA Cup semi-final match with Leeds United AFC in 2000, many fans were stabbed to death after street fights between Turkish and British hooligans.
At the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, there were limited incidents of violence, with more than 200 pre-trial arrests. During that time, police believe that on average each rioter consumed or dumped 17 liters of beer.
In a more serious situation, police had to protect Libyan fans in Egypt from missiles thrown at them by Egyptian fans on the top tier during a match between Egypt and Morocco.
In another soccer accident, 125 people were killed and hundreds injured when soccer fans stampeded at a match in Ghana in 2001. In Johannesburg, South Africa, on January 14, 1991, forty people were killed when soccer fans they ran into a stuck outlet to escape rival fans fighting in a match. game southwest of Johannesburg.
On April 15, 1989, in England, ninety-five people are killed and at least 200 injured in Britain’s worst sporting disaster after a wave of crowds crushed fans against the barriers at the semi-final match of the World Cup. English FA Cup between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium.
In thousands of other cases, hundreds of fans were stabbed to death in various locations around the world. Many matches were cancelled, and many clubs paid heavy fines. Public property faced destruction in countless events. All of these incidents leave the game with a tarnished image. Now, most soccer-playing nations are taking additional security measures for various tournaments. Along with governments, a lot also depends on the fans. Only they can help stop such violence. It takes a broader, more liberal perspective among fans to make sports a sports affair!